i would rather see a much bigger fiscal cliff in the way of government spending cuts. that's what we really need. but if we're not going to do that, we're not going to cut spending, then the middle class has to brace for the bad news. they have to pay for all this government and the best way to do it is with taxes. unfortunately, taxes on the rich are not going to work. they are already overtaxed. it's the middle class that's going to have to pay more if we want all this government. >> do you think they can, peter, without destroying the economy? because the question i asked extensively last week is why is a couple hundred dollar tax rise to the middle class a doom now, but during the clinton era, it was praised? >> well, people don't have the home equity they had back then and they don't have the stock market wealth they had back then. >> costs have gone up. >> inflation, inflation has -- look at how much gas costs now compared to what it cost back then. food is a lot more expensive. look, the economy is buckling under the weight of all this government. no, i don't th